Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blogThe best place for news, stats, analysis, and stories about the Auburn Tigers2015-08-01T13:54:14Zhttp://trackemtigers.com/feed/atom/Zach Taylorhttp://best5zach.blogspot.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=342222015-07-31T11:32:59Z2015-07-31T04:40:06ZByron Cowart became the highest ranked recruit in Auburn’s modern recruiting history, capping off a push by the last three Auburn coaching staffs to crest the hill into “elite” recruiting territory that is typically reserved from landing a top recruit. Many of you have read my past articles on my own blog, and know that […]

Byron Cowart became the highest ranked recruit in Auburn’s modern recruiting history, capping off a push by the last three Auburn coaching staffs to crest the hill into “elite” recruiting territory that is typically reserved from landing a top recruit. Many of you have read my past articles on my own blog, and know that I am typically skeptical of the modern age of recruiting. Games aren’t won and lost by stars. They are won by the recruits who are sometimes overshadowed by their rankings, who can be coached, and who fit a system. Sometimes I think that even the coaches fall victim to the recruiting services, recruiting players for a mythical NSD Championship instead of recruiting another, less highly ranked kid who fits the system.

While Nick Saban has revolutionized the art of recruiting, and it’s hard to deny his prowess in churning out lots of wins and NFL-picks, it hasn’t directly translated NSD championships to National Championships. If that were the cast, he would have six or seven rings to show for his efforts.

Instead, there are plenty of five-star busts who never achieve their goals or live up to their lofty billing. And, there are plenty of three-stars that win National Championships and go on to NFL careers. It’s interesting to note that there wasn’t a single five-star recruit on either of the NFL teams represented in the last Super Bowl. Just think about that for a second.

But, if you want to win, you do need the best players you can get, those who can be coached and fit your particular system. But how do they stand up to those mythical rankings?

Don’t misunderstand. I am not a professional scout. Aside from playing high school ball, getting whipped in flag football every fall by college kids, and watching my TV, that’s really the extent of my qualifications. So, read this post and try not to roll your eyes and think “This guy.”

One of my habits in the off-season has been to watch video on these recruits. While it helps me pick out exactly for whom to wait in line at A-Day for an autograph, it is also educational and prepares my expectations.

As we noted, Cowart is the highest ranked recruit in Auburn history, and he will probably hold that ranking for some time. As an Auburn fan (or a rival fan?), some of you are undoubtedly satisfied that, based upon his high school ranking and priority within the coaching staff, this guy is an immediate impact player and future star. But some of you may not be sold. Some of you may be skeptical. Many of you are interested in exactly what Auburn is getting. I’d like to weigh in on the topic.

Eleven different thoughts after the jump:

First, let’s reference Yahoo! Rivals for all of his measurables and basic information, which you can find here:

He is listed at 6′ 3″ and 252 pounds. Most recruiting services have him listed at running between a 4.60 and 4.89 40-yard dash. That is fast for a big man. It is worth mentioning, however, that straight line, 40-yard sprints are not what he is going to need. Rivals has him rated a 6.1, which is the maximum ranking. He is the best player in his position as well as the entire class.

247Sports.com rates his traits, and among them, his first step and hand quickness are ranked nine out of ten. Interesting.

In the two years that his stats were accumulated, he had 140 tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. Perhaps the most impressive is his seven forced fumbles, two of which were returned for TD’s.

Though no stats are given on his physique and strength in terms of measurables, you can read in an AL.com article by James Crepea that senior LB Kris Frost had this to say:

“He’s a really big guy,” linebacker Kris Frost said. “I tell you they make them bigger and bigger every year I don’t know where they came from, but it’s amazing seeing him out there running around. … We feel like he’s going to be great for us this year. We trust and we know that once he gets our systems, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Size, speed, and strength can’t be coached. Cowart has that and in spades. But, what of his gamesmanship? His motor? That can be found on game footage.

The footage doesn’t lie. Seeing these guys live is the best thing, which most all the coaches get for the high profile players. All the fans have is the game footage of highlights. It’s worth mentioning that game footage can deceive, especially since the highlights represent so few of the actual snaps each player will take in his career. That being said, I watched his highlights on Rivals and Hudle.com

Just like a recruiter, I watched all the vids, wrote notes, watched them again. Stop. Slow motion. Repeat.

I came away with 11 different thoughts:

Perhaps the most important thing to be seen on Cowart was the need for him to improve his consistency with his hands. Some plays he used his hands. Some he didn’t. It appeared to me that the use of his hands was always pre-scripted. As in, before the ball was snapped, he had already decided to perform a swim move or an arm chop. When he did, it was a thing of beauty. When he didn’t, he had to string the block out. It is easy to see why his hand quickness was rated so high. But why didn’t he always use them?

On the subject of using his hands, he has a VERY good swim move. He didn’t always have to use it, as many offenses ran away from him and he pursued across the backside of the play. I noticed that he didn’t have an arm chop or a “shock” move. An arm chop is when a defensive player chops an offensive lineman’s hands away. A “shock” is a sudden blow to the chest that can cause a lineman to step backwards or even push him off his feet entirely. He will need all three moves in the SEC.

One of the more disturbing tendencies Cowart displayed was poor tackling form. He either hit an opposing player up high or he led with his helmet. Players need to explode through a ball carrier by starting low and driving up. In all cases, wrapping up and driving through is a necessity. Many times he used only upper body strength to body slam. Other times he plowed through a player with no wrapping up at all.

His first step needs work, and really, to be honest, his whole hand-on-the-ground stance. He isn’t “loaded”, and he doesn’t really explode off his first step as I think he should. Instead, he has to stand slightly and then build speed. Think of a spring. He needs to be fully coiled like a spring and have the same immediate jolt of energy and speed. This may be one of the reasons many of the offensive lineman are able to get their hands on him. In the SEC, if the offensive line can get their hands on a D-lineman, the play is essentially over.

There is no doubt that Cowart has speed to burn. Again, he was frequently on the weak side and the offense drew the play away from him. He constantly made backside tackles. Offenses simply didn’t respect his speed.

He has a very good motor, and he does not give up on plays. Again, just like two of the bullets above, even when the play was across the field, he was still tracking it. There were several plays where he was stone-walled by an offensive lineman, and the play looked to be going downfield. But, he kept fighting and was able to fight through the block and put himself back in the play.

However, in regards to the last point: when he played as a tackle or as a D-end with his hand in the dirt, he really struggled against players his own size and weight. There was one game in particular where there were several highlights. He didn’t make the play immediately as he was actually handled pretty well by the lineman. But, his defense strung the play out long enough for him to out-athlete his opposition and track the play across the field, or be in a position to make a play when it was turned back. This goes back to our first bullet. He didn’t make a conscious effort to perform a move or get proper hand placement.

Against similar-sized players, he was frequently out leveraged. Again, that is a product of hand placement and pad level. As a D-end, you cannot become tied up with an offensive lineman, and you especially can’t let them get their hands inside of your shoulders. Under no circumstance can you allow the opposing offensive lineman to achieve leverage.

That being said, many times he was able to disengage well and to continue pursuing the play. But, this was usually against players who were substantially smaller than he.

He can be schemed against. I mentioned teams running the play to the far side of Cowart, but I also saw many offenses take him out of the initial play by pulling linemen. He seemed to be completely surprised if the man lined heads-up from him wasn’t the man who attempted to block him.

I was a little surprised at how many of his highlights were on plays where he was simply unblocked. It’s hard for me to give credit to a player when linemen simply busted the call and left him to go up the middle unblocked.

Many of you think I may be a little critical. Perhaps. Not that I would know (being 5′ 3″, 130 pounds in high school), but being his size and speed and playing against kids much smaller does make it hard to have form tackling. I am sure it’s hard to explode “from the bottom up” against a kid that gives up a foot and 80 pounds to you. I see the same thing with ball carriers who are going to project to the college level. To be a legitimate running back in college football, you have to be 6 feet and 200 pounds. Many of these guys are that size in high school, but their opponents are not. As a result, pad level isn’t something they have to worry about.

Many of the other things are very coachable. The question is, is he coachable? We have read about the last two players that were in his shoes and how their coaches dealt with them (Clowney/Nkemdiche). In both situations, coaches commented that coaching these guys was markedly different than coaching other players. They didn’t elaborate too much on exactly what they meant. Fans are left wondering if that means a player receives special treatment. We now know that Clowney was able to refuse training and discipline. We do have some knowledge into Muschamp’s plans for game-day integration, as we saw with both Clowney and Nkemdiche. Both players were eased into their own roles before the role expanded as a sophomore. Is that what we should expect from Muschamp on Cowart? It would seem so. In Crepea’s article, we read the following:

“What coach Gus Malzahn had to say: “We feel very good about him being able to come in immediately and help us, obviously rushing the passer. Our defensive staff did an excellent job recruiting that young man.”

What defensive coordinator Will Muschamp had to say: “Byron puts pressure on himself as a player, and we’ll certainly bring him along, and when he’s ready to accomplish the things he wants to accomplish, we’ll make sure he’s in position to do that.”

Fans want the best 11 players on the field at all times, but in cases like this, the best talent may not be the best player.

So, what should be expected?

As a junior and senior in high school, his best plays were speed rushes off the weakside edge. I didn’t pay attention to the down and distance, but in the SEC, that is typically going to be a 2nd and short or 3rd and long situation. That would work out extremely well for Cowart as an incoming true freshman. We already know that he is going to be either a D-end or a “buck”, both cases being an edge rusher. With his need to improve in the above areas, it is a safe bet that he isn’t going to be a 3-down player. It would be a perfect situation to pair him on the far side of Lawson on throwing downs and allowing him to use his superior speed and hand placement to put pressure on the backside of the opposing quarterback. He will be an excellent balance to dual-threat and spread offenses where the QB is going to roll out to the left side of the field where Lawson may be double teamed. Cowart’s speed, as well as usually being single-blocked, will give him a chance to cut down those strung out plays that would otherwise give a mobile QB time to find an open man or tuck and run.

But, again, Cowart has a lot of work to do if he wants to see the field on a 3-down basis. There are doubts that he is going to be able to pick all of these habits up in fall camp, which is why I don’t think he will be a 3-down guy until at least next year. Not only will that be the best thing for his development, but how he deals with being a situational player for an entire season will say a lot about the young man’scharacter.

]]>14Acid Reignhttp://www.trackemtigers.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=342572015-07-30T15:12:07Z2015-07-30T08:25:23ZA-Day was great. But they were allowed to stack 8 in the box and blitz… War Eagle, everybody! July is nearly at an end, and fall camp starts in about a week. By all accounts, there’s been a sense of urgency in Auburn this summer, and the players should be in prime condition as […]

A-Day was great. But they were allowed to stack 8 in the box and blitz…

War Eagle, everybody! July is nearly at an end, and fall camp starts in about a week. By all accounts, there’s been a sense of urgency in Auburn this summer, and the players should be in prime condition as fall drills begin.

After six pretty miserable Auburn defensive seasons where Auburn gave up 24 or more points per game each season, I think folks would like to know if we can hope for better this season. The hire of Will Muschamp to run the Auburn defense once again brings hope. We know from our own history in 2006 and 2007 that Muschamp can motivate kids to play at an unreal intensity level. We also know that those defenses were prone to getting stomped by Georgia, giving up 82 points to the Bulldogs during that span.

There is debate as to whether head coach Gus Malzhan’s hurry-up no-huddle style hurts the team’s defensive prospects. Honestly, I think the hype on this is overblown. Auburn ran right around 70 plays per game last season, which is pretty typical. Honestly, Malzhan doesn’t really go hurry up that much. Usually last season, they’d check to the sideline endlessly, and wait till the play clock was down nearly to zero.

Can Muschamp get Auburn back under 20 points per game scored against? I think it’s going to be difficult to obtain that number. Auburn plays some wicked offenses, this year. Yep, we’ve got LSU in the bayou this year, and then the best returning starting quarterback in the league, Dak Prescott, a week later. Kentucky will sling the ball around, and Arkansas will try to trickily pound it. Then there are spread deals like Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Georgia and Bama will be tough in their pro-style leanings.

My honest take is that Auburn will need some favorable injury luck in the defensive arena to make improvements. Auburn’s walking wounded on the defensive line are by all accounts recovered nicely, and we can look forward to Carl Lawson and Devonte Danzy stalking SEC tackles. Incoming all-world end Byron Cowart looks every bit the part, and he’ll provide a boost on the line. Will this unit be able to develop quality depth?

At linebacker, seniors Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost remind me very much of Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens from the 2010 national championship team. They were capable, hard hitting, and durable. The problem during that era was Auburn’s third LB, or nickel back. We are looking at the same problem in 2015, as Auburn struggles to find either a run stopper or designed cover guy in the bunch of newcomers.

Up front and in the secondary, Auburn is quite solid, but depth may be an issue. It is certainly good to hear praise for incoming 5-star freshman Byron Cowart in spring drills. He’ll be needed! With the promise of a more physical fall camp this year, Auburn will likely need some depth to field a ready team on defense. Given the team’s injury history, two or three depth-guys will need to start this fall at some point.

What constitutes “good” in the SEC defensive world these days? At Florida the past four years, defense was not considered an issue under Will Muschamp. How well did he do against SEC (mostly East) competition? In 2011, Florida gave up 18.75 points per game. In 2012, it was a ridiculous 9 points per game. In 2013, Florida gave up 20.38. Last season with Muschamp on the hot seat, Florida gave up 25.75. Aside from 2012, those numbers are respectable at best, especially considering the talent on hand at Florida. At Auburn, coordinators have struggled to keep it under 30 points per game against SEC competition, for comparison.

My feeling this season is that 25 points per game is the mark to achieve. If Auburn can keep teams near this mark with a brutal schedule, they’ll have great success. It does remain to be seen whether this is possible.

]]>7mvhcpahttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=342062015-07-30T14:54:06Z2015-07-29T04:47:58ZYou love it, or you hate it. I have never seen anything in between from the Auburn faithful. By now, you may have guessed from this article’s title to what I am referring–one of our great traditions on the Plains, the cheer we all know as “Bodda Getta.” Auburn fans who can’t stand it usually […]

You love it, or you hate it. I have never seen anything in between from the Auburn faithful. By now, you may have guessed from this article’s title to what I am referring–one of our great traditions on the Plains, the cheer we all know as “Bodda Getta.” Auburn fans who can’t stand it usually point out that the words are incredibly stupid and convey almost no meaning; those who love it probably do so, like me, for the exact same reason.

When I heard this cheer at my first AU game as a freshman, I was mostly clueless as to what was actually being said. Fortunately, an AU cheerleader was one of the denizens of CDV Extension where I lived, and he explained to me what the words actually were – or at least how they were pronounced, for even after the cheerleader’s personal explanation, I still wasn’t sure exactly what the words were.

For those who might still be wondering what the words actually are, even after spending four or more years at Auburn, I present them below:

According to Kelly Kazek in her book Hidden History of Auburn, there was no official spelling of the cheer until it appeared on officially-licensed T-shirts sold at J&M Bookstore. Trey Johnston (the “J” in J&M) had to come up with the spelling himself as there was no extant written record.

The cheer’s origins are equally obscure …… The first determination by Kazek was that the cheer had its birth in the mid-sixties with the AU marching band, as an invention by the band “rats” (or “Rookie Auburn Tigers”) who were required each year by veteran band members to come up with a new cheer for the band to use during games. Kazek notes that this might be a continuation of an even older tradition documented back to 1897, where each class of seniors would likewise try to top the previous class by concocting a cheer, some including variants of “rah-rah-rah” and “sis-boom-bah.”

All those cheers have a noble pedigree at the Loveliest Village. In fact, per Clyde Bolton in the 1973 edition of his book War Eagle, The Story of Auburn Football, the first Auburn cheer, as recorded in contemporaneous news reports, went as follows:

Rah-Rah-Ree, Rah-Rah-Ree

Alabama AMC!

This pithy expression of enthusiasm and loyalty harkens back to an earlier official name of Auburn, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, and was shouted throughout downtown Atlanta hotels by Auburn partisans on the eve of the first Auburn – Georgia game in 1892.

Kazek was informed later of even more specific origins of Bodda Getta; in the early sixties, the cheer’s first two lines along with the very last line were developed in a slightly different form by members of the Lee County High School band in Montgomery. However, in the height of irony, one of original authors of the Lee County band cheer actually ended up graduating from Alabama! More clear-minded Lee County band alumni came to Auburn, where they modified their high school cheer and brought it to the Auburn band.

I am now going to risk any perception of journalistic credibility since I can’t find one source I read a long time ago and must trust my memory (hey, if it works for Brian Williams…). In my Internet peripatations, I seem to remember a blog post which noted that the AU band director at pre-season band camp instructed the band members to “put some body” or “get some body” into their playing. This statement might have stirred the memories of those Lee County alumni to develop their old high school cheer into their new “rat” cheer that we now know as Bodda Getta.

Of course, “rah” as a cheer has been around since who knows when, and “sis-boom-bah” is probably nearly as old. Putting those two together seems pretty natural. As a side note, I first remember hearing “sis-boom-bah” used as a cheer in the Saturday morning cartoon version of “Gilligan’s Island” (don’t ask me why I remember stuff like that).

The current search is on to determine who came up with the “Weagle, Weagle” line (a line I still mispronounce as “Regal, Regal”, what I thought it was the first time I ever heard it).

Certainly, Bodda Getta ranks as one of our greatest traditions, and even if it is not one of the oldest, it has roots that go back to the very beginning of football on the Plains. We all have some great memory of it, and I bet we are making new memories with it as well, as I did here:

And just for a little narcissism, here is another (although I think I got five of those pounds back):

So, I’ll just leave you with a question of my own: What are y’all’s memories of this Auburn tradition, and are you making any new ones for yourself?

Michael Val

(who says “Kick ‘em in the butt, Big Blue”–especially if it is an elephant butt!)

]]>14Zach Taylorhttp://best5zach.blogspot.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=342022015-07-29T21:32:31Z2015-07-28T05:19:51ZIt’s the part of the year that we all dread. SEC Media days came and went…getting us all hot and bothered, yet the season is still 40 some odd days away. Just for a minute, football was back. We all sat around and watched interviews that went exactly the way we knew they would. […]

It’s the part of the year that we all dread. SEC Media days came and went…getting us all hot and bothered, yet the season is still 40 some odd days away. Just for a minute, football was back. We all sat around and watched interviews that went exactly the way we knew they would.

Gus said “the future is bright”. There are a lot of guys he is “high on” that he “is really excited about” and that are “going to be a good player for Auburn.”

Saban verbally accosted the media and used the word “a’ight” 27 times while repeatedly gesticulating with his hands.

Les Miles went off on a threadbare rant that only makes sense while tripping bad acid and watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force on mute. Okay. Honestly, I’ve never done any illegal drugs, but I felt like I had as I watched his interview. And, yeah, I watch ATHF. It’s my guilty pleasure. As are a ton of other cartoons such as The Venture Bros and Metalacalypse. But, I digress….

And the media. Geeze. We want FOOTBALL questions. Why did that one dude have to ask every single coach about his thoughts on the cost of tuition? Really?

Here I am, a struggling blogger, who has five questions of my own, though they aren’t any good, but at least pertain to Auburn football. (Okay, I’m not really struggling… I mean, struggling in the sense that I try to be a relevant writer, maybe.)

Okay. So, let’s talk some real football. Let’s not do over/under win totals. Let’s not talk about divisional championships. Let’s talk position groups. As in, who has the best?

Offensive Line

So, I pick up Lindy’s ’cause I can’t afford all the magazines out there. It’s also one of the best, so let’s consider it gospel for the moment. On paper, Georgia pops out, and I believe it’s the class of the east. UGA has two different players on the first team All-SEC, Theus and Pyke. UGA led the SEC in rushing with 258 yards per game. They return both guards and tackles. The center position looks to be manned by Wynn, who was a four-star athlete and a top-20 guard in high school. (Keep in mind that most kids who play center in HS don’t get rated as a center.) He also played in 11 games in 2014. We know UGA is going to run the ball. Can they throw it? And, if they do, will the receiver corps hold up? Despite having an under-average SEC QB, Mason still managed to throw for 200 per game in 2014. But, the line gave up 27 sacks in 2014, ranking them 65th in the FBS. UGA was still middle of the road. UGA checked in at 40th in tackles for loss. Not so great.

On the flip side of the conference, the Razorbacks return four starters as well. It’s well documented that down the stretch Arkansas was as good or better than anyone up front. They turned in the nations 24th best rushing attack with two players going over 1,000 yards. Every lineman checks in at over 300 pounds. Bielema, for all his loud-mouthed and often whiny faults, is probably the nation’s best offensive line coach. The stats don’t lie. He can coach a road-grader crew. But, can he develop pass protection? Arkansas gave up 19 total sacks, good for 43rd. It’s worth mentioning that the Hogs didn’t throw much, so that sack total might not be representative. But, they were in the top 20 in tackles for loss. That’s pretty dang good.

When it comes to NFL talent, Alabama has at least two NFL-ready players in Kelly and Robinson. These guys are NFL locks, and that isn’t easy to do. But, Alabama is rebuilding their line – again.

Auburn has more NFL-potential guys than maybe any SEC school. Young is already an NFL talent. Shon Coleman has the potential, but he struggled against premier pass rushers, frequently getting manhandled. Golson, the Ole Miss transfer, may not make an NFL roster as a center, but there is a reason he was a true freshman who played on the most prolific Ole Miss squad ever. Kozan posted up a Freshman All-American season before he missed a year. Braden Smith played and almost supplanted 2014 starters as a true freshman.

The latter two teams may prove to be better all-around lines than UGA and Arkansas by season’s end. But, in week one of the season, UGA/Arkansas will be ready to rock. They have four out of five returning starters from units that were very good. Between UGA and Arkansas, I have to give the nod to the Hogs, as far as run blocking ability (they are dominant), ability to provide pass protection (though it won’t be used much but will surprise everyone this year), size (which can’t be coached), and overall coaching. Additionally, Arkansas played better competition than UGA. By season’s end, it will be easy to judge these two units since they will both play Auburn and Alabama, which should both have top defensive lines.

More position by position break downs after the jump.

Running Backs

Man, this is a tough one.

It’s hard to argue against what the Hogs have going in Fayetteville. Two 1,000 yard backs. The best running game coach (I think) in college football. The top line in the SEC. But, I will be honest, I haven’t been impressed with the backs, in and of themselves. I think they are a product of the system. They would be starters on other SEC teams, probably. But, just serviceable.

UGA has four different backs that can all hurt you in different ways. Even Douglas, who is going to be a 4th stringer, is a bulldozer that no one wants to get in front of. I think the reason UGA stands out is because we have seen each and every back on the roster be dominant – even behind some awesome guys. Richt has a terrific line of backs lined up. The issue is, he hasn’t had a back that made it through two seasons, going back to Ealey. Off the field issues, mainly, have prevented his backs from getting a large sample size. Marshall is the only guy to hang around, and he has been oft injured.

Alabama and Auburn both have potential, though I give Bama the edge. Derrick Henry is the one running back in the SEC that I simply wouldn’t want to game plan for. That says a lot. He reminds me so much of his predecessor, Eddie Lacy. I believe that Henry may be the best overall back in the SEC. He is the only guy whom I feel like can and will get your 3rd and shorts every time. Kenyan Drake is a back that I think gets over valued because of his change-of-pace ability. But, he’s still quality.

I don’t think Auburn has the same quality backs as they have had in Malzahn’s first two years. Robinson/Thomas/Barber look to be very good, but Auburn boasted the rushing champion two years in a row. And, let’s not forget, they were both on the same team in 2013.

Many people are high on Tennessee‘s two backs. I am not sold. I really don’t think Hurd is going to prove to be a competent runner when the game is on the line. His pad level is terrible. But, he is a real threat catching the ball. Will Kamara be that guy that can pick up those 1st downs? This is the SEC. It isn’t JUCO.

LSU‘s Fournette is the only back who can give UGA and Arkansas a run for the money, according to most pundits. But, I am really pumping the brakes on him. He broke LSU records for yardage for a freshman at 1,034. While he averaged a respectable 5.5 YPC, he bolstered that average with games against Sam Houston State, New Mexico State, TAMU, and a very over-matched Notre Dame. He wasn’t very good outside of those games. In fact, he averaged over 5 YPC in only two SEC games while being stuffed in the remainder of the SEC competition. He does add some kick return value, but the chances of him returning kicks as the starting RB are slim.

UGA gets the win here. Williams and Collins can match up with UGA’s Michelle and Marshall, but Chubb beats them all. Throw in Douglas and the Dogs run away with it.

Receivers

Several teams have a stud WR for which an argument can be made as the best. Duke Williams is poised to be the best WR in the SEC. He has all the tools. But, the same can be said for Treadwell from Ole Miss, Cooper from USC and Wilson from Mississippi State. We are really going to have to look deeper.

Only two schools have two or more WRs whom I believe are game changers, who are NFL talent, and who will be used as such.

Tennessee is a team with WR’s on which I am very high. North, Howard, and Pearson are all very good players who may not be elite but as a unit offer some of the best overall talent. Even outside of those three, the Vols have some talent. But injuries and shaky QB play early in the year derailed any chance of these guys getting mentioned. Pig Howard is a multi-threat weapon who can and will run the ball. North and Pearson can really stretch the field. Almost the entire line comes back, and Dobbs has been labeled as a dark horse Heisman. I am not buying that hype, and I would like to remind everyone that this line gave up 80 tackles for loss, which was next to dead last. They were 117th in sacks allowed. Ouch. So I’m not sure if we are going to be able to see just how good these guys are. Though I think these guys are versatile and talented, only North really looks to be an NFL guy.

I think the deepest, most talented group of WR’s who are going to be used is the Texas A&M receivers. Noil, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Josh Reynolds would start on any and every SEC team. And, they are all going to be on the field together. Last year’s TAMU talk was centered around the QB play, as it should have been. That’s because the WR play was steady while the QB play was all over the board. Jones, at 6′ 5″ was a consensus five-star player as was Noil. Reynolds was a three-star guy, but one of the best at his position in college football. He pulled in 13 catches last year for the Aggies. These guys all bring something different to the position. With the system they play in, the QB they have, and their ability, this is the most talented group, top to bottom.

Tight Ends

If you were judging this position purely on starts, stars, and measurables, you would be way off.

There are very few teams with returning TE’s this year. But, there are 3 that immediately come to mind: Alabama’s Howard, Arkansas‘ Henry, and Ole Miss‘ Engram.

O.J. Howard is a name that everyone knows. But, he simply hasn’t turned into that player people thought he would be. Every once in awhile we see flashes. The problem has been two-fold. The focus Kiffin gave Cooper, paired with Cooper’s ability, drained any sort of chance that anyone else was going to receive multiple targets a game on a consistent basis. And, when his chance did come, he didn’t make the most of it. I point to the Ole Miss game last year. But, size and skill wise? He has the total package. I do admit that this year could be the year he really shines. Kiffin’s offense could be just as good as last year’s, despite losing the skill positions. Howard is really the only returning skill guy with meaningful reps. I just can’t have a faith in a guy that simply looked lost at times in 2014.

To me, this is really a two-man race.

Hunter Henry is a consensus four-star player who checks in at 6′ 5″, 255 lb. In his two years, he has 65 catches for 1,000 yards and 6 TD’s. He averages 14 yards per catch. And, most importantly, he gets multiple targets a game against premier SEC competition.

I think he is going to be a huge asset this year to the Hogs. Why? Though Allen hasn’t been exceptional, he has gotten better each year. This year, with this cast, all Allen has to do is go 11 – 17 for 180 yards and two TDs, and the Hogs will win a lot of games. How will he do that? I am guessing at least 7 TD’s go to Henry, who will hit the seam on play-action passes. He will be a matchup nightmare off the line against linebackers.

However, Evan Engram is my pick as the best tight end in the SEC. But, I have to put a rather large asterisk around that because he really isn’t an in-line tight end at all. Engram was a three-star guy who comes in at 6′ 3″, 227 lb, a far cry from the typical SEC run-first tight end.

His ability to run and catch, plus some awesome open field moves make him a Jimmy Graham-type guy. He lines up in the short slot a good bit, matching him up with either a nickel back or a linebacker. He is a matchup problem for either. Despite missing three games in 2014, he managed 38 catches for over 600 yards and two TD’s. He had a catch in every game he played in, and he was held to one catch only three times. This is a guy who gets five receptions per game. He averaged 17 yards per catch. Think about that.

I really feel he had a bit of a sophomore slump in 2014. But, Ole Miss’ ability to score in the red zone was predictable: Wallace up the middle or throwing to a WR via a screen pass or quick slant. With defenses continuing to hound Treadwell and Co. and an offense that won’t be a dual threat as the previous units with Bo Wallace, I fully expect Engram to explode for 10 TD catches and close to 1,000 yards, especially in the red zone. Not that any of you care, but he is a fantasy lock this year. He is going to be the 2nd or 3rd TE taken in fantasy leagues.

Quarterbacks

Ah. Everyone’s favorite. This year is fairly easy to rate, considering how few returning starters there are. Of course, that doesn’t mean a new starter can’t be the best. But, let’s consider those players that we have actually seen play in an SEC game.

Alabama…what a mess. All those four-star QB’s and not a star among them. For shame!

Ole Miss? It’s Chad Kelly’s job to lose. As talented an arm as he is, he has to manage not to get kicked out of the Grove. But, if he does become the starter, he has a very talented group of WR’s and the league’s best TE. He will have no run game behind him, which is going to make him a high-volume passer. If his off-the-field decision making is any judge, you can expect a lot of picks. And like all of Freeze’s teams, a late season meltdown.

Kentucky’s Towles? Talented? Yes. A chance to win? No.

UGA? Game manager’s delight.

Ok. That’s enough of the satire. Let’s get down to it.

There are 4 legitimate quarterbacks who can vie to be “the best.” However you chose to rate them, for the most part I am looking at the stat lines first, then at NFL ability. Auburn‘s Johnson, Mississippi State‘s Prescott, Missouri‘s Mauk, and TAMU‘s Kyle Allen are all QB’s whom I think will have big stat years while being on good teams.

Yes. I realize that I left Dobbs off. While he is obviously a talented multi-threat guy, I don’t consider running for your life to be a legitimate reason to rank a guy that high. If (and a big if) his line can come together, he has a talented skill position cast. But, ultimately, the gap between UT and UGA – UT’s nearest competitor – is still wide. And the gap between UGA and the top of the SEC West is wider still.

Auburn’s Johnson has one of, if not the best, WR’s in the SEC. But, serious questions remain on whom he can throw to after Duke Williams. Guys like Ray and Louis have shown ability. But, the coaching staff has been unwilling to involve them more in their years at Auburn, which makes you wonder. The backfield is talented, but to think it is better than the 2013 unit which featured 2 different SEC rushing champs is presumptuous. The line is talented, but will they gel? Johnson has the best arm of the group, in terms of accuracy and range, and I don’t think it is close. He has premier size. His pocket presence as we saw at A-day (albeit, with no fear of being hit) was impeccable. He doesn’t want to run, but he can. He would much rather step up and deliver a downfield strike. What action we have seen has been phenomenal. In his limited action in the past two years, he has posted a 98 QBR.

Prescott enters 2015 as a Heisman hopeful, but he will not sneak up on anyone as he did in 2014. He has terrific running ability, which he relied upon in 2013. He showcased his ability to throw in 2014. But, there are some critical pieces that will be missing from the magical mix he had last year. He has only two returning linemen, and he lost Robinson, his running back. Robinson turned in 1,200 unheralded yards behind that terrific O line. These two items were critical in allowing Prescott to become the player he was. 2015 will be back to the old Dak, who will be running a lot. Now, he does have a talented WR in Wilson, who could challenge as one of the best in the SEC. Down the stretch, Wilson turned in three straight games with eight or more catches – all losses. Prescott’s talent set will not work in 2015, even if he is the most physically gifted. He can throw a deep ball, but his touch is iffy. I also don’t think much of his pocket awareness. He took 23 sacks last year, which ranked 42nd. That’s playing against 5 bottom dwelling defenses like SMU, Lamar, and ULM, each of which ranked as one of the very worst. It wasn’t that his line didn’t do well, it was that he was willing to run out of the pocket in the face of pressure rather than stepping into the pocket. What we do know about Prescott that we don’t know about the other guys listed is that he is respected by his team, and he owns the leadership role. He had a 74 QBR in 2014.

Mauk really struggled last year after filling in terrifically as a part-time starter in 2013. In part-time duty in 2013, he really shined, throwing 11 TD’s and only 2 INT’s. In his four starts, he threw 10 of those TD’s. Many believed that he would be a scoring machine in 2014. He experienced the sophomore slump, turning in 25 TD’s and 13 INT’s. Additionally, his completion percentage was awful, a 55% passer. But, the kid has talent and perhaps the most upside of any QB in the league, which is why I have him on this list. He returns four linemen who gave up only 23 sacks in 2014, ranking them 35th in the country, despite playing some solid defenses. Hansborough is coming off a 1,000-yard season. A competent runner is every QB’s best friend. The issue is, he has no receivers around him. He had a 56 QBR in 2014. Things don’t look so good, right?Mauk obviously doesn’t fit with the three other QBs, but I do think he has amazing upside. I am a firm believer in sophomore slumps, and he definitely had one. He doesn’t have an NFL arm like Johnson. He doesn’t have Prescott’s physical attributes and ability to run, especially up the middle. He doesn’t have the system or weapons that Allen has. But, he has a very good mixture of abilities. Don’t be surprised to find him atop the stats come late November.

Not that I laugh at someone’s expense, but the meltdown of one Kenny Hill was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. The joke was ultimately on me, as Kyle Allen made his first start against Auburn and threw four TD’s in the first half. This five-star talent has serious arm ability. He is in a system where he is going to throw it 30 times a game, every single week. In his four starts, he never threw it less than 25 times and as many as 35, which he did twice. And, he has the best cast of WR’s to catch those big-time throws. Furthermore, Sumlin has recruited some of the best offensive linemen out there and he is simply an offensive guru. The only concern I have is that the high volume of pass attempts means INT’s. In Allen’s case, he threw at least one per game. Coupled with a terrible defense, even one turnover can spell disaster, starting a snowball effect where he has to throw out of a deficit. Great for fantasy players. Not so good as an Aggie fan. But, the defense should be a lot better with Chavis, and there has been a lot of talk of an improved (and alive) run game. Allen’s QBR was 77.4 in 2014.

Who is the best? Well, depends. Are we talking about best college QB? Or best NFL QB? I think Mauk and Prescott are going to have great production and terrific highlights, but there are too many questions on who will be surrounding them. Both offer great upside and low risk. But, Mauk doesn’t make the cut and Prescott does.

If it’s about future in the NFL, I’d say Jeremy Johnson has the best mixture of tools. However, in terms of the college game, Kyle Allen is in a position to be the best QB in the SEC this year in terms of passing production. Not only does he have great talent on the perimeter, but he has the best coach and system to suit his ability. But, we haven’t seen enough of him to really know what to expect over the course of a whole year.

Until now, Allen was my pick. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we don’t really have the full story on Allen or Johnson. But I know what I am getting with Prescott.

The makeup of a great QB isn’t just arm talent and the skill around him, but his ability to utilize every aspect of the offense and win. I do think MSU will take a serious step back this season. I don’t think Prescott is as NFL-ready as either Allen or Johnson. If anything, I expect to see a regression of the passing game. But, I do know that he is respected by his team and that he is a leader, something that Johnson and Allen have yet to prove. If the game were on the line and my team needed a score, which one of these guys would I rather have? No question. With his physical gifts and his ability to lead, Prescott has to be the best QB in the SEC.

Check back soon, as I will be breaking down the best defensive units in the SEC!

]]>5Jay Coulterhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341962015-07-27T13:01:50Z2015-07-27T06:49:43ZAlmost lost in the buildup to this season is Auburn’s highest ranked recruit in school history. Little is written these days about Byron Cowart, the defensive end that ESPN and Rivals calls the top incoming freshman for 2015. Although he’s the Tigers future, Jeremy Johnson and Co. are the here and now. Cowart has kept […]

Almost lost in the buildup to this season is Auburn’s highest ranked recruit in school history. Little is written these days about Byron Cowart, the defensive end that ESPN and Rivals calls the top incoming freshman for 2015. Although he’s the Tigers future, Jeremy Johnson and Co. are the here and now.

Cowart has kept his head down this summer, understanding that on campus he’s at the bottom of the pecking order. Sort of. How Auburn handles the heralded freshman will go a long way in determining whether it gets another one anytime soon.

Gus Malzahn has said little about Cowart this summer, understandably wanting to take pressure off the immense expectations. During SEC Media Days, Malzahn said only that Will Muschamp had a good game plan for the Florida native. Muschamp has followed Cowart since middle school, and that relationship above anything else is what got him to Auburn.

“We had Carl Lawson two years ago, very similar situation,” said Malzahn. “Will (Muschamp) has a great plan for him. He is a guy that’s going to play and is going to help us. We’ll bring him along the right way; he’s a very talented young man.”

One thing is a near certainty: He will see action against Louisville. Coaches have raved about his summer conditioning. At 6-foot-3, 277 pounds, he has the build to play immediately.

He is not a freshman who’ll need to get in the weight room and put on muscle before contributing. His summer workouts have amazed linebacker Kris Frost.

“He’s a really big guy,” said Frost. “I tell you they make them bigger and bigger every year. I don’t know where they came from, but it’s amazing seeing him out there running around. … We feel like he’s going to be great for us this year. We trust, and we know that once he gets our systems, the sky’s the limit for him.”

For Cowart’s part, he’s saying all the right things. “Being the No. 1 recruit, it was great for the high school level, but I want to kind of leave that behind going to college,” he said to reporters earlier this year. “It’s not about what you did, it’s about what you’re going to do.”

Cowart will be watched this season in much the way South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney was in 2011 as the nation’s top-rated player. He’ll also draw comparisons to Ole Miss star Robert Nkemdiche, who was tops in 2013.

For every success though, there are more flameouts, something that’s not lost on SEC coaches.

“You have to handle him (Nkemdiche) a little bit differently,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze told AL.com. A lot of it depends on the kid also. I’m not a fan of the way recruiting has gone right now and the social media, I think, it kind of creates a false sense of really what’s real and what’s not to some young men. Sometimes that can affect them negatively.”

A lot is riding on Cowart. It’s impossible to get into the young man’s mind, but it’s hard to argue that Muschamp isn’t the person to get him ready to play. He has the trust of Byron and his family, something that can’t be underestimated during this critical period when a player is getting acclimated to college life and huge expectations.

In a little over a week, Cowart can put away those stars and hype and concentrate on football. That has to be a lot easier than answering all those questions.

]]>4Zach Taylorhttp://best5zach.blogspot.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341872015-08-01T01:49:41Z2015-07-24T15:57:13ZAs I have been doing for the past month or so, I take note of how many days or weeks until kickoff and I post a picture of a current or former Auburn player to commemorate the date. Yesterday marked six weeks until the Thursday night kickoff game. That one was easy. No. 6 Auburn quarterback and future […]

As I have been doing for the past month or so, I take note of how many days or weeks until kickoff and I post a picture of a current or former Auburn player to commemorate the date. Yesterday marked six weeks until the Thursday night kickoff game. That one was easy. No. 6 Auburn quarterback and future star Jeremy Johnson.

Today marks 43 days until Auburn tees it off against Louisville. No.43 isn’t a hard one to put a number with a face, is it? I’d venture a guess that besides Bo and Cam, Lutz may be the most remembered face in modern Auburn football.

Last year on the week of his death, I wrote this article. Take a read …

I didn’t know Philip Lutzenkirchen personally. Sure, I wished I did. Who wouldn’t? Aside from shaking his hand at the spring A-Day game in 2009, a Fan Day or two, and a few Tweets on Twitter, I have no personal connection to him, other than as a fan. I guess the closest I ever came to him after he became such a sensation is yelling at him from our tailgate spot in front of Plainsman Park after the Prayer in Jordan-Hare. He turned, smiled, and waved, then he was gone.

I feel for anyone and everyone who did know Lutz. I can’t imagine how they felt about losing him. If I feel as bad as I do about losing a great man, I can’t imagine what they feel. I’m not writing this article for you to feel sorry for me or for Auburn fans, and I certainly don’t want you to think it’s just some other article out there trying to get some attention. I just feel like I, as a fan, owe him a few words and thoughts after what he has given me.

Coach Saban had been at Alabama for a little over a year. In that short year, Auburn fans like myself had become educated to just how important recruiting was in winning football. It wasn’t that Coach Tuberville had done a bad job, it was just that Saban had revolutionized the National Signing Day. I had begun to keep up with recruiting a fair amount in 2008. While there was zero doubt that Tuberville had a lock on top defensive talent, the offensive woes of 2008 didn’t look like they would improve much in 2009, as the the cupboard seemed bare and the class of 2008 was missing offensive playmakers. Except for one player.

Not that I am a talent expert, but there was one offensive player on the list of Auburn recruits that I could draw a circle around and label “can’t miss.” Philip Lutzenkirchen exhibited all of the play making abilities that Auburn needed, and he did so in more ways than you might expect. While different positions push their agenda with a skill or two: receivers showcase their speed and hands, running backs their power and moves, the man we called Lutz showcased a skill set. He blocked inline. He blocked on the perimeter. He made catches in space. He made catches in traffic. But he wasn’t just a workhorse tight end, as he also had a fair amount of circus plays of his own, which made him an internet sensation. But, I had rarely seen a highschool kid that brought such a complete game with him. We always hear about how receivers have to learn route reading or running backs have to pick up blocking schemes, which is why so few make it on the field early. But, there was zero doubt in my mind that Lutz would be a guy who could understand it all and implement it quickly.

With the closing whistle of a blowout loss to Alabama, the word was already out that Tuberville and Franklin were out the door. While that wasn’t a surprise, what would be a surprise was the decision for the #3 tight end in the country to remain steadfast to his commitment to Auburn. To many, it seems simple hindsight that I would label him so important to Auburn football, but the truth is that in 2009, the player that I had the most apprehension about signing was Lutz. That’s saying something, since the class of 2009 was littered with NFL talent like McCalebb, Nick Fairley, Emory Blake, Daren Bates and Dee Ford. I don’t mean that as a snub to any of them in the slightest. But, if I had been given a list (and I was, thanks to Rivals) of incoming freshman and asked to circle the one that would be a certain major impact, Lutz was the one. With the infusion of Coaches Chizik and Malzahn, he decided to stay an Auburn commitment. I breathed a sigh of relief.

2009 exhibited an offensive explosion of the likes I had never seen. The combination of two future NFL talents in Ben Tate and Ontario McCalebb proved to be deadly out of the backfield while the unlikely QB, Chris Todd, put up some amazing numbers. Lutz found himself behind a 4 year starter in Tommy Trott, who had been a decent threat to defenses each year, being the most prolific tight end that Auburn had seen in my lifetime. Trott held the bar for Auburn tight ends with his career 45 catches and 4 TDs.

Yet, it didn’t take long for Lutz to become a contributor, as he snagged his very first college pass in the 3rd quarter against Mississippi State for a touchdown. I was there. And while Kodi Burns was the official player of the game with his 3 TD runs and 1 TD toss to Lutz, it was an official changing of the guard at tight end and the development of a real weapon at tight end. I recall going back to my best friends house after the game and replaying the whole game on Tivo and talking about the importance of these new recruits, such as Blake, Lutz, and McCalebb.

In 2009, he snagged 4 passes for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.

With Cam and the explosive National Championship team, he caught 15 balls for 185 yards and 5 TDs, easily overshadowing (in my mind) any Auburn tight end in my 30 years as a football fan. But it wasn’t the stats that made him the premier tight end in Auburn lore. After all, Andy Fuller set the bar extremely high in 1993 with one of the biggest catches in Auburn history against #1 Florida. Fuller had a terrific career himself, catching 33 passes for 513 yards and 5 TDs.

In fact, what catapulted him to the top for Auburn tight ends isn’t one play, but two… at least.

The first play that will live forever in Auburn fan’s minds is the TD grab in Bryant-Denny to cap one of the greatest comebacks in all of college football. I have written my thoughts in The Cam-back: Iron Bowl 2010 on this game, including the pure elation that exploded after his catch to seal the game. After most big time TDs (and especially those not so big ones), we see some form of practiced choreography. We sigh chestbumps and high steps. We see players spiking the ball. It’s all usually thought out and practiced. What we are seeing is players celebrating for themselves. Not for the game. And not for the fans. But that wasn’t Lutz’s reaction. After the simple half dozen high steps that Lutz threw down after his biggest catch, he exploded into a heartfelt blast of emotions because he KNEW and UNDERSTOOD what this game meant. The catch was never about him. It wasn’t about stats. It wasn’t about NFL draft stock. It was about his team and his fans. You can see it in the dance, but more importantly in his eyes and the pure unadulterated scream of ecstasy after the Lutzie.They had done something so few teams had done or ever would do. They had gone into Big Brothers house. Had gone under the knife. And had clawed out to deliver a knock out blow that was the defining moment of this generation’s Iron Bowl fans. And he knew it. He felt it. Because he authored it.

How about the one-handed grab and dive against Ole Miss. Take a second to watch:

It was truly an amazing play from beginning to end. But what most people don’t know or remember is what that TD cost him. He tore his labrum early in the year, but he played through it. It is an injury I have experienced myself. When it first happens, it isn’t too bad. But, the more you do, the worse it gets until you have the last straw. I believe it was in his dive into the endzone in this play that was the end. Perhaps his greatest feat of personal accomplishment on the field is overshadowed by just what it cost him. While all of us in the stands or at home clapped each other on the back and talked about the Great Lutz, we should see it in a different way: that this one play exemplified his love and devotion to Auburn Football. To the point where he would give his body for each of you. And he did.

It’s easy to remember the high points. It’s easy to recall the the things we want to remember. But we should also remember that Lutz gave us more than just an Iron Bowl win and near record breaking stats in all categories as a tight end. He sacrificed his body for the Auburn Family. He gave up potentially millions for each and every one of us. Lutz could have left after the 2011 season for the NFL as one of the top graded tight ends in the country. He had wrapped up the greatest season for an Auburn tight end with 24 catches for 238 yards and 7 TDs on one of the most inexperienced teams Auburn has fielded in recent history. And he did all of that playing through injury. It would have been easy to say goodbye and enter the draft and cash in on his hard work. I would have and so would you. Even in a plagued 2012 campaign where he had serious injuries all throughout the year and the ball just wouldn’t come his way, he never gave in. He fought until his body gave out. He could have hit the bench and tried to salvage an NFL draft pick. But he didn’t. This man had different priorities. He had the right ones.

Lutz loved Auburn and Auburn loved him. He is one of the few players we will ever see that stayed in school because he loved his University and fans. Along the way, he did what so few NFL prospects ever care about doing: he got his degree and, he stayed completely out of trouble. There was zero doubt in anyone’s mind who coaches would send to SEC Media Days. And, just as he was reliable on the field, he was reliable off of it, staying completely out of trouble, something sorely missing in the modern age of major college athletics.

His love for Auburn was so great that despite having graduated only months before and experiencing NFL life, he was back at Auburn as an Ambassador for our great University. Typically, it takes years for people of such stature to even begin to care about giving back to their school, yet here Lutz was, recruiting for the school, hoping to find a spot as a coach. Just two years after he had left. Amazing, really.

And while detractors may point out that ultimately football is about self-gratification and “making it,” Lutz proved to be about more than making millions in the NFL. He was invested in his friends and fans and loved giving them time. Lutz was a force on social media, never above interacting with his fans. He would let you know where he was and when he would be there. He had such a zeal for life that he shared through social media. My wife and I constantly found ourselves laughing at his antics. Lutz was his own man and he believed in being true to himself and his fans. While his accomplishments on the field are evident and his plays immortalized forever, that’s not how we should all remember him.

Lutz is the embodiment of everything we want to see in our athletes. He was fiercely loyal to his University. He loved his fans. He believed in doing things the right way. He displayed courage and character in his play on the field and his life off of it. He Believed in Auburn and Loved

]]>0Zach Taylorhttp://best5zach.blogspot.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341732015-07-25T13:04:53Z2015-07-24T13:37:45ZHas anyone else noticed the amount of articles being posted on social media pertaining to Jeremy Johnson and his running/lack of running ability? I have. And it’s getting pretty old and played out. People say he can. People say he can’t. People say he should. People say he shouldn’t. And, Gus and Jeremy sometimes weigh […]

Has anyone else noticed the amount of articles being posted on social media pertaining to Jeremy Johnson and his running/lack of running ability? I have. And it’s getting pretty old and played out.

People say he can. People say he can’t. People say he should. People say he shouldn’t. And, Gus and Jeremy sometimes weigh in on the subject.

I’m hear to tell you that his ability to run…or not run…doesn’t really matter.

The comparisons to one Cam Newton began before Johnson was ever on campus. There are some similarities. Namely, the overall size of each of these men is very similar. And, both can chunk the ball a very, very long way. But, to be perfectly honest, that’s about the limits of the comparisons, in my eyes.

Jeremy Johnson is already on par to college-age Cam Newton in his throwing ability. Which means he doesn’t HAVE to run. Did you raise your eyebrows?

His ability to throw the ball was well known when he was in high school. He was described by many people, Gus Malzahn included, as having a real-deal NFL arm. In limited action in his first two years, he has shown that he has the gift. Not only does he have the ability to make all the throws, but he has the brains to make the decisions on exactly which throw he should make. Of the 2 INT’s he has tossed, I recall one being a WR at fault. I can’t recall the other. As a sophomore, he was nearly perfect in his limited action.

In this year’s A-Day game, Johnson was nearly flawless in his overall execution. The only flaws I saw in his game occurred in a particular series in which he was locked on to Duke Williams. He missed Duke on the sideline on one throw and shorted a dig route that nearly found the ball going the other way. But, after that series, Johnson opened up his playbook and began making some fairly unbelievable reads. He checked down into the flats. He threw a wheel route to a fullback. He looked a safety off and completed a perfect pass for a TD to Myron Burton. He avoided a sack, stepped up into the pocket, and fired a 50 yarder to Louis.

And that’s where the differences between Cam and Jeremy really start to glare. Don’t get me wrong. Cam was almost perfect all year in 2010 throwing the ball, especially down the stretch. But, anyone who understands the game will tell you that his arm wasn’t the only thing completing those passes. Defenses were more terrified of his (and Dyer’s) ability to run it down their throat than they were scared of his ability to beat them in the short game throwing. So, how did Cam end up with 30 TD passes? Well, the defenses stacked the box. Cam ran play-action passes. And then he threw it as far as he could to a (usually) wide open receiver. However, Cam struggled making reads and finesse passes. Never was it more evident than his early games. But, again, it quickly became evident that he didn’t have to pass.

Bear Bryant made one of the most astute observations about the game when he said that “3 things happen when you pass and two of them are bad.” Why throw it short when you can run it? To sum it up, Cam was perhaps the greatest running quarterback in modern football history. Yes, Tebow owns a lot of records and all, but Cam churned out the greatest single-season road grade that any of us will ever see. He was, by all definitions, unstoppable.

Can Johnson run it? Sure. There have been some leaks that Johnson runs a 4.49 50-yard dash. Doubtful, but I am sure he’s close. Can he run the zone read? Well, yeah. He has undoubtedly practiced it for the 2 years he has been on the Plains. And, honestly, it doesn’t matter how fast you are when you are that big. If you make the right read, a 6′ 6″ guy can fall forward at the line of scrimmage for 3 yards. I’m not great with math, but that’s pretty good.

The other thing that many pundits are considering is how the offense was … run with Nick Marshall. The nimble-footed Marshall was more like Cam than most people will ever admit. The difference is that the handoffs went outside for Cam as opposed to inside with Nick. Cam was a battering ram that it took 3 defenders to tackle and had a long stride that was nearly impossible to match. Nick was elusive around the edge, but just as fast. He might go down with the first defender, but that defender had to catch him, which was usually a tall order….especially in the backfield. Marshall and Cam were more alike in the throwing game than anyone will ever admit as well. Both could throw the ball as far as it needed to be thrown. Both struggled at times to check it down. Both had issues with fitting the ball into windows in the short game. But, both these quarterbacks took Auburn to National Championship games and lit up the stat sheets and scoreboards.

Which is why everyone immediately assumes that for Auburn to have success, JJ must be able to run. If he doesn’t, the Gus Bus will derail.

False.

Though Malzahn’s offenses at Auburn have been mostly top-level offenses, we sometimes forget that the offenses that put him on the map were not run by true dual-threat QB’s. His QB’s were polished passers who didn’t have to run. And, the overall offenses weren’t just spread offenses that didn’t have a run game.

Chris Todd set several Auburn records in his single year under Malzahn at Auburn.

Paul Smith, under Malzahn in 2007, threw for 5,000 yards and 47 TD’s in a season! He ran for under 200 yards.

David Johnson, while at Tulsa in 2008, threw for over 4,000 yards and 46 TD’s while running for less than 200 yards.

Ryan Applin, with Gus at Arkansas State for a single season, threw for 3,300 yards and 24 TD’s against a VERY tough schedule. He ran for 430 yards.

And yet, each of these offenses had something you wouldn’t believe. They featured a running back with at least 1,000 yards. In fact, his two offenses at Tulsa featured one back who ran for 2,700 yards in those two seasons.

Seems to me that maybe the assumptions that are being made might be a tad over inflated. Seems to me that we are trying to fit Gus’ offense into our idea of an offense instead of letting him mold his own. In fact, there is a lot more truth to that than you might think. Marshall and Newton were elite athletes….and that’s a word I don’t throw around lightly. Both were players who had a wide skill set that Gus didn’t have enough time to mold into his ideal quarterback. They were the exception and not the rule. So, he fit an offense around them that would work for the team he had. And, he did a fantastic job. Up next is Johnson, and we make all of these assumptions. He has to do this like Cam. He has to do that like Marshall.

As much as I love Cam and Nick, both struggled with check downs. Both were off and running when the edge blitz came. And, it’s amazing that both of them lasted whole seasons (though it’s worth noting that Cam was hurt in the National Championship game, and Nick Marshall missed extensive time). Why? Because they were run first.

There is another critical aspect of the game many people forget. Auburn frequently ran to run the clock…not just to score. Both the 2013 and 2014 defenses were some of the worst defenses fielded on the Plains. The 2010 defense wasn’t exactly a dominating unit, either. The same can be said for every stop that Gus Malzahn has made. That will change in 2015, it would seem. Gus won’t …err….shouldn’t….have to worry about clock management anymore. Scoring will be his primary purpose. And, that means a lot of throws.

Johnson doesn’t have to run. And, he probably won’t, at least not to the level that we saw with the two aforementioned QB’s. And Auburn is going to win a lot of games, anyway. Why? Because Johnson is a true pocket passer, and even a casual observation of his in-game play will show that. Just as I said earlier, he has all the tools. He looks off the secondary. He checks down. He uses the whole field. He steps up into the pocket and delivers the ball. And, most importantly, he is scary accurate.

So, I just laugh when I see these comparisons to the two great Auburn QB’s. Who really cares if he can run the zone read when he can throw the ball 30 times a game and go 22 – 30 for 350 and 3 TD’s? Really? Let’s not forget that Auburn has one of the most talented and high-potential backfields anywhere in the country. I firmly believe that Roc Thomas will take the place of the traditional QB in the zone read. Instead of making JJ run the ball, he has two potential reads…inside to a Barber/Robinson or outside to Thomas.

Sure, it puts the offense at a slight numbers disadvantage in terms of “helmet on helmet” numbers, but so does losing your QB when you need him most. Let’s not forget that Auburn has always had a capable backup on those good offenses who was a veteran (Burns with Todd, Caudell with Newton, Johnson with Marshall). Auburn doesn’t really have that this year.

Johnson also has the most potential at the WR core than any previous QB has had at Auburn under Malzahn. It’s going to allow him the ability to spread the ball and create mismatches, which hasn’t been possible at Auburn since 2004. That is, of course, if the WR’s live up to their potential.

To sum up, Johnson has a very talented backfield top to bottom as well as a high-potential WR corps. Though White looks like he will be a solid QB in the future, he is pretty new and untested. Running the ball with your QB, regardless of the talent and ability, is risky. Malzahn won’t have to run the ball to manage the clock. If Muschamp does what we all think he will, Malzahn will have the luxury of being able to throw it 30 times a game without worrying about time management or 3-and-outs. Lastly, Johnson is already a more polished passer than either of the run-first QBs that Auburn has found success with (Newton/Marshall) and his game film already proves that. Now, can he do it a whole season? That remains to be seen. But, when I look at all of these bits of information, I see a QB that doesn’t have to…and shouldn’t…run the ball. It isn’t his strength, and the offensive game plan shouldn’t need it. So, can we stop with all the questions about his ability to run, already? If I didn’t know any better, I would think the media called the plays, not Gus.

]]>8Zach Taylorhttp://best5zach.blogspot.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341612015-07-24T14:44:31Z2015-07-23T15:37:43ZNot that I would every criticize the media members, but some of the questions … if not all of the questions that Coach Malzahn fielded in his time at SEC Media days were atrocious, and for different reasons. Lot’s of questions about satellite camps. One guy asked every coach about their thoughts on cost of […]

Not that I would every criticize the media members, but some of the questions … if not all of the questions that Coach Malzahn fielded in his time at SEC Media days were atrocious, and for different reasons. Lot’s of questions about satellite camps. One guy asked every coach about their thoughts on cost of attendance. Very little football related questions were asked. And, those that were, were softballs.

I can’t really be too harsh on the media. It’s not like Gus would have answered any questions with substance. We all thought that Chizik gave the worst interviews, but Gus is right on up there. I can pretty much sum up his answers to any and all questions:

“We want to get out edge back.”

“The future is bright.”

“XXX is a guy we are really excited about. He’s done some things in practice.”

Yawn.

So, let’s pretend that I was able to sit coach down and ask a few questions. Whether or not he would answer them isn’t up to me, but at least it would make us all think. Who knows…maybe he would give us a nugget.

1) Coach, so much has been made of the historically bad defense that was fielded in 2014. A lot of people point fingers at one unit or the other and most people question the overall talent on defense. But there a few things that make me really point the finger back at the coaching staff because I can’t buy a “lack of talent.” On the 2014 unit, you had two defensive tackles (Wright/Blackson) who ended up getting drafted. You had both linebackers who could have been drafted or made an NFL roster (and will do so in 2016). You had a secondary with at least SOME NFL-type talent on it (Jones). In 2013, Therezie looked like an NFL player(but he all but disappeared in 2014, which is a question in and of itself). Yet, this unit couldn’t stop a runny nose for half a season. Why? I know that’s a nebulous question, but I am really interested to understand the particulars of the situation, specifically when you first knew it was an issue and what you tried to do to correct it.

2) Speaking of the defense, the secondary is and has been hammered by media the last few years, specifically people who supposedly know a lot about the game and how it works. It’s true that the secondary has been a weak spot since Tuberville left. But, this group seems to be on the receiving end even heavier than previous units. They (the media) seem to think Auburn will have the pass rush it missed in 2014 with Lawson back. The linebackers are both on watch lists. But, the secondary is the liability. People don’t seem to understand what a lack of a pass rush does to a secondary. It is fairly amazing that despite the ridiculous number of downfield passes that were forced upon them, the secondary tied for the most interceptions with Ole Miss, a team whose secondary was worshiped by the media.

Enter the 2015 secondary who features terrific transfers from Michigan and UGA. Throw in Jones, who is a preseason All-SEC guy. I look at it and I don’t see a weak secondary in 2015. In fact, I see the strongest secondary that Auburn has fielded since the last days of Muschamp. Why are people so down on these guys? What were your thoughts about these guys as the 2014 season closed out?

3) What are the realistic expectations for Johnson? I mean, in terms of actual numbers? Obviously a first 3,000 yard single season passer has to be a goal. Cam had 30 passing TDs. Can Johnson match that? We recognize that Johnson is a first year starter and that there may be unreasonable expectations from him, considering the overall lack of experience and turnover of personnel. Still, there have to be goals that are written down. What are they?

4) Piggybacking on that last question, in your time with Auburn, no Gus QB has thrown more than 330 times in a season. To get to 3,000, that’s the kind of attempts that you are going to need, bare minimum. That averages to about 24 passes per game. Your two best passers at Auburn were Chris Todd and Cam Newton. Extrapolating from the numbers of those two QBs, we assume a 65% completion and a 9 yard per completion average, assuming you get 14 games. Obviously, you had a strong run game with both of those QBs and you didn’t need a high volume passing game. Both had Darvin Adams, who was one of the best deep threats in the game. Looks to me that you need that deep threat. You need that guy who can make 50/50 balls really 50%. Is that guy on the field? It isn’t Duke Williams. Louis is not a 50/50 guy. Who could it be?

Alabama has utilized a very unique system the last few years where two similar backs with slightly different skillsets have competed for carries, specifically 1st and 2nd down and 3rd and short. However, it was that 3rd and long back, that shifty guy who can catch the ball out of the backfield, who has been the sole piece to breaking open big games. When Lacy and Henry were together, it was Yeldon (who won the game in 2012 against LSU). When it was Henry and Yeldon, it was Drake. That hasn’t been your approach, but this year looks strikingly similar. You have two backs who are 2 down backs for sure, in Barber and Robinson. Yet it is Thomas who has that unique skillset that doesn’t match up. Will you copy Alabama’s approach to using him? Or will he end up buried on the depth chart like many backs before him? We all know that you are a run-first offense, despite what other people say. And, you like to run between the tackles. While Thomas CAN do that, he isn’t going to be as good as the other two. What are your real plans for him?

As a follow on, A lot of people see Thomas filling the position of the speedback. But he looks to be so much more talented than the previous two (McCalebb/Grant). Yet, in the past, these guys all but disappear in the back half of each season. Literally, every single season, their carries dwindled to nothing down the stretch. Why?

]]>3Acid Reignhttp://www.trackemtigers.comhttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341502015-07-24T05:42:51Z2015-07-23T07:24:11ZThe most talented Ole Miss team in years visits Auburn.(Photo by Acid Reign.) War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for another Auburn opponent preview. On October 31st, Auburn will host the Ole Miss Rebels. These two teams have fought close battles the past two seasons, and this one should be no exception. The Rebels […]

The most talented Ole Miss team in years visits Auburn.(Photo by Acid Reign.)

War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for another Auburn opponent preview. On October 31st, Auburn will host the Ole Miss Rebels. These two teams have fought close battles the past two seasons, and this one should be no exception. The Rebels return probably their most talented team in history. The main question is at quarterback, where a trio of inexperienced guys are battling it out over the summer. Last season, the difference between the first 10-win season since Eli Manning and a Houston-Nutt-like 9 – 4 finish was the 15 picks thrown by Ole Miss quarterbacks. In a spread offense, you’ve got to be able to throw the ball. If Ole Miss is to break into 10-win territory this year for only the second time since 1962, it must have more reliable quarterbacking.

For this game, Auburn returns home from a difficult trip to Fayette-nam and the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Prior to that, Auburn will have played Louisville in Atlanta, Jacksonville, then LSU in Baton Rouge before home contests against Mississippi State and San Jose State. The Tigers then take a Saturday off before traveling to Lexington Kentucky for a Thursday night prime timer. The second of the Tiger off Saturdays follows before the trip to Fayetteville. The Ole Miss schedule ramps up quickly. A laugher against Tennessee Martin opens the season, followed by a visit from Fresno State. Then the Rebels travel to Alabama to face a team sure to be thinking revenge for last year’s upset. Ole Miss then hosts woeful Vanderbilt before traveling to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators. Homecoming follows against New Mexico State, then a trip to Memphis to play the resurgent Memphis Tigers. Ole Miss then hosts Texas A&M, followed by the road trip to Auburn.

The Rebel defense loses stars Senquez Golson, Cody Prewitt, and D. T. Shackelford to the NFL on defense, but the Rebels have recruited well and should be able to fill the holes. This was a stout defense last season before injuries took a toll, and this year’s bunch should be deeper thanks to great recruiting by the Rebel staff. Judging from the Rebel spring game, Ole Miss will once again be able to stuff the run, pressure the quarterback, and lock down receivers. The past two seasons, Ole Miss has signed the top JUCO cornerback in the nation. These guys looked wicked in the Ole Miss Grove Bowl this past spring and made the quarterback candidates miserable.

In the front seven, Ole Miss has tweaked the lineup by moving senior defensive end C. J. Johnson back to middle linebacker where he started his career. Anchoring a tough defensive line will be junior tackle Robert Nkemdiche. His older brother Denzel Nkemdiche will fill out a dangerous linebacker corps.

Ole Miss returns all 5 starters on the offensive line, but that unit might have been the least productive unit on the field for the Rebels last season. There is hope that experience will translate to improvement this season, but there were some guys on that line still banged up in the spring. Reviewing the numbers, the Rebels were 10th in the SEC last season in rushing and 12th in sacks given up. In the Rebel’s spring game, quarterbacks put up mediocre or worse numbers and faced a lot of pressure.

Rebel skill players should be pretty good. By all accounts, star wide receiver Lequon Treadwell should be fully recovered from his gruesome leg injury by fall camp. He’s joined by a veteran talented cast of receivers. Senior running back Jalen Walton is a threat every time he touches the ball, and he’s joined by a pair of younger backs that are bigger and more powerful than what we’ve seen out of Ole Miss lately.

Ole Miss was very young on special teams last season and had some bumps early. Moves were made, and the Rebs were playing pretty well here at the end of the season. Almost all skill players return on this unit, and they should be a strength of the team in 2015. Ole Miss has recruited back-to-back good classes, and that tends to load up special teams with talented coverage and blocking guys.

Unit matchups, after the jump!

Auburn defensive line vs. Ole Miss offensive line: The difference between a shaky Auburn defensive line and a good one will depend upon the health of recovering defensive ends Carl Lawson and DeVonte Lambert. If both are healthy, along with junior tackle Montravius Adams, Auburn has 3 potential All-SEC starters up front. Most of the rest of the Auburn linemen are very young. The approximate Rebel line depth chart right now features junior Laremy Tunsil at left tackle, senior Aaron Morris at guard, senior Ben Still at center, senior Justin Bell at right guard, and senior Fahn Cooper at right tackle. Ole Miss didn’t have much luck running the ball against Auburn last season aside from the scrambling of Bo Wallace and gave up 5 sacks against an anemic Auburn pass rush. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn linebackers vs. Ole Miss backs: Auburn’s likely starting linebackers coming out of spring drills are seniors Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy. Both are veteran, athletic SEC players, looking to make the next move up. The Tigers took a blow when likely starter Derrick Moncrief elected to transfer a few weeks ago. True freshman Tim Irvin and sophomore Nick Ruffin are one and two on the post-spring depth chart. Auburn showed signs of improvement this past spring, but after really shaky efforts last season against Georgia, Alabama and Wisconsin down the stretch, I’m not 100-percent confident. Senior Jalen Walton is at the head of the pack of Ole Miss backs, and he’ll be spelled by sophomore Jordan Wilkins, a guy that started to come on late in the year in 2014. Akeem Judd was redshirted last season with turf-toe issues but has been a physical runner this spring. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn corners vs. Ole Miss receivers: For the first time in years, Auburn is looking for depth at corner. Senior starters Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey are veteran, talented players. Finding a third corner or nickel back will be a priority this fall. The Tigers got a huge boost this spring when the transfer of veteran senior Michigan cornerback Blake Countess was announced. He’ll likely compete for a starting job right out of the gate. Auburn will need 3 or more capable corners to defend the Rebels. If he is fully recovered by Halloween, junior Lequan Treadwell is a nightmare to defend. He’s fast, long and has great hands. Junior Quincy Adeboyejo moves into the other starting outside spot. There is talent coming in behind those guys. Advantage: Even.

Auburn safeties vs. Ole Miss secondary receivers and quarterback: Auburn returns the speedy and athletic senior safety Jonathan “Rudy” Ford at one spot, and he’ll be joined by veteran Georgia transfer Tray Matthews. Again, Auburn’s depth here is shaky, but the starting 4 in the secondary are all very, very good. The Ole Miss guys to watch here are senior Cody Core and junior Evan Ingram. These two inside guys combined for 79 catches last season and get open easily in the flats. Sophomore Markell Pack brings some depth to the slot position, but the Rebels are hurting at tight end. Ingram is more of a receiving tight end than a blocker, and the second guy on the depth chart is former junior lineman Jeremy Liggins. Will defenses be able to diagnose run or pass, depending upon which tight end is in the game? Coming out of spring, the Rebels haven’t decided on a starting quarterback. Coach Hugh Freeze has said that sophomore Ryan Buchanan has a slight edge, but most observers believe the job is junior JUCO-transfer Chad Kelly’s job to lose. Kelly is the nephew of former Buffalo Bills/Houston Gamblers quarterback Jim Kelly. By all accounts, he has the arm and the physical ability to do well. He needs more timing and practice with the Rebel Bear receiving corps, if his spring game performance is any indication. Advantage: Auburn.

Punting: Auburn left spring practice without a starting punter being named. Last season, sophomore kicker Daniel Carlson handled the majority of the punts and managed a healthy 42.0 yard average. He got stronger and stronger as the season progressed. The coaches would like Carlson to focus solely on kicking, but if Auburn played tomorrow, Carlson would likely punt. For Ole Miss, sophomore Will Gleeson averaged 42.9 yards per punt, and looked even better this spring. Ole Miss was very good covering punts last season, giving up only 3.5 yards per return. Auburn gave up 7.8. Markell Pack didn’t exactly light things up as punt returner last season for Ole Miss, but he’s a veteran presence back there. Auburn will likely go with junior Marcus Davis as the punt returner. Advantage: Ole Miss.

Kickoffs: Daniel Carlson was very good kicking off last season, notching 50 touchbacks on 81 kickoffs. When Carlson’s balls were returnable, Auburn gave up 21.7 yards per return. For Ole Miss, sophomore Gary Wunderlich had just 13 touchbacks on 35 kickoffs, and Ole Miss gave up 21.3 yards per return. Auburn was expected to be dangerous returning kicks last season, and instead was pretty anemic, averaging just 20.0 yards per return. Top return man Corey Grant graduated as well. Leading candidates to take over return duties are Ricardo Louis and Roc Thomas. Senior Jalen Walton gives Ole Miss experience here. Walton averaged 21.3 yards per return last season. Based on the touchbacks, it’s Advantage: Auburn.

Place kicking: Auburn sophomore Daniel Carlson is the man for Auburn. Carlson was 18 of 24 on field goal attempts and perfect on his extra points. It’s nice to have some experience back. Ole Miss had some kicking issues early, but Gary Wunderlich stepped in to solve those. He was 6 for 8 on field goals, and hit all of his extra points. Advantage: Even.

Auburn offensive line vs. Arkansas defensive line: Auburn returns 3 starters on a road-grading, violent offensive line. There is depth behind the starters as well. From left to right, the current starting line features junior Shon Coleman, sophomore Alex Kozan, sophomore Austin Golson, sophomore Braden Smith and junior Avery Young. Ole Miss counters with a dangerous lineup. Senior Issac Gross and junior Robert Nkemdiche hold down the fort inside. Junior Fadol Brown and sophomore Marquis Haynes should bring it from the edge. There is depth off the bench, also. Last season, this was a much hyped matchup. In the end, Auburn gave up no sacks, rushed for 248 yards, and piled up 502 yards on a cold night in Oxford. At home, I see no reason not to expect a similar result. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. Ole Miss linebackers: No starting backs were named at Auburn coming out of spring drills, but talent was on display on A-Day. Runners Roc Thomas, Peyton Barber and Jovon Robinson should all see action against Ole Miss. H-backs Kamryn Pettway and Chandler Cox likewise should play. The return to middle linebacker of senior C. J. Johnson is interesting to say the least. I figure it’s due to his experience. He’ll be joined by senior Denzel Nkemdiche in the Rebel two-linebacker scheme. Last season in Oxford, Cameron Artis-Payne, Corey Grant and Roc Thomas all averaged over 5 yards per carry against a more experienced group. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn receivers vs. Ole Miss corners: Auburn’s outside receivers are headlined by senior D’haquille “Duke” Williams. The other likely starter is senior Ricardo Louis. These are both big guys that can really run, and Williams has shown the ability to haul in anything in his relative ZIP code. There is talent behind the starters, too. Ole Miss will have a couple of guys out there starting in this one that don’t have any SEC experience prior to this year, but both are JUCO All-Americans. Juniors Tee Shepard and Tony Bridges looked pretty good in the Grove Bowl this past spring. I’ll take the experienced guys playing at home, thanks. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. Ole Miss safeties: Auburn does not have a tight end with playing experience returning. Sophomore Chris Laye is atop the depth chart, but Auburn may well just go with multiple wide receivers a lot of the time against a depth-challenged Kentucky secondary. Auburn’s top slot receiver is Marcus Davis, who’s quite shifty and has good hands. On A-Day, senior Jonathan Wallace played a good bit, and showed surprising blocking skills. There are a number of talented receivers on the roster that could see time here as well. Junior Jeremy Johnson will start at quarterback for the Tigers. He’s played a good bit as a backup over the past two season, and preseason prognosticators have him on All-SEC teams. He is surrounded by talent. Junior Tony Connor is the returning Ole Miss nickel back. He was second on the team with 79 tackles, but only had 3 passes defended in 13 starts. Senior safeties Trae Elston and Mike Hilton combined last season for 130 total tackles, and 14 passes defended. Advantage: Even.

When Ole Miss has the ball, on paper it looks like a significantly Auburn-favored matchup. However, Ole Miss has made a living the past 3 seasons moving the ball against superior talent. The success of this team will really come down to consistent offense this year, I think. Turnovers just KILLED Ole Miss, last season.

I believe Ole Miss will be a strong team this season, but I’m afraid Auburn pretty much matches up against them across the board. The last time Ole Miss beat an SEC team on the road that had a winning SEC record was when they knocked off eventual national champion Florida way back in 2008.

Prediction: Ole Miss is not scary on Halloween in Auburn. The Tigers romp, 38-13.

]]>3mvhcpahttp://trackemtigers.com/?p=341022015-07-23T15:22:14Z2015-07-22T18:45:05Z“War Eagle!” “Roll Tide!” “Sic ‘Em!” “Hotty Toddy!” “Two Bits!” We all hear those and other phrases in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as well as other venues, as those gladiators of the gridiron in Orange and Blue take on the teams lined up against them. Even as those contests play out on the green, green grass below us, we know […]

We all hear those and other phrases in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as well as other venues, as those gladiators of the gridiron in Orange and Blue take on the teams lined up against them. Even as those contests play out on the green, green grass below us, we know that what happens on the field is only a part of the wonderful world we experience as college football.

I mused in a lengthy article a few years ago that there is definitely something beyond the mere game that attracts us to college football and makes us loyal to Auburn itself. That something is the feeling of being a part of a community beyond ourselves–a community with its own culture and its own traditions.

I discovered the world of sports blogs, including Track ‘Em Tigers, during our 2010 championship run. Being out of work that whole season, I had time to surf around and discover more about not only Auburn history and traditions but also those of our SEC and other historic rivals as well. I was considerably impressed with all of those traditions and realized how deep those traditions run throughout the whole world of sports.

As the laziest member of the TET staff, I realized I needed something to get me writing more regularly. As a mere fan in the stands, I don’t have the football chops to bring you the insightful analysis like the other writers here (who have, I say in all honesty, the most astonishing football minds I have ever seen). Consequently, I thought that I would try to share some of my own memories and observations on our most cherished Auburn traditions, as well as look into the traditions of some of the teams we will meet this year.

I plan to start a series on college football traditions right here, beginning next week. Perhaps this will stimulate a few of your own fondest memories and bring into even more focus what makes–and keeps–Auburn special to all of us.

By the way, some of you might recognize the title of this article as coming from an old Broadway musical. Oddly enough, the narration at the beginning of the number pretty much summarizes how most of us feel. After all, college football isn’t just a SPORT – it’s a RELIGION!

Michael Val

(who says “WAR EAGLE!” and “BODDA GETTA!” and “IT’S GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER!”)